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Hunted by the Shadows
Hunted by the Shadows Character list Chapter one- Crowpaw I padded through the forest, almost to the gathering. My sleek fur shone in the moonlight. I was so ''excited. I would get to see Rowanpaw again! Sure he was in ThunderClan, but we were still best friends. There! I saw the Island! RiverClan camp wasn't very far from the Island. I swam across the water, and leaped onto the bank. "Crowpaw!" My mother, Lakefall, called. Her green eyes glittered with annoyance. "Not too fast! Wait for Lynxstar!" I stopped, waiting for my mom to catch up. "Sorry," I murmured as Lynxstar passed. My leader smiled. "Lakefall, learn to keep your son in line." Lakefall flinched. "I'm very sorry about that, he just-" Lynxstar interrupted her. "I was just joking." My mother relaxed. I didn't see Rowanpaw there, but I saw my other friend, Stonepaw. I padded up to him, waving my tail. He grinned, noticing me. "Hey, Crowpaw!" I ducked my head as he tried to cuff my ear. "Hey, Stonepaw!" He paused. "Actually, it's Stonestreak," he said, puffing out his chest. I purred. "Great!" "Shh!" A cat in front of us hissed. I glanced up to see Beachstar, Rainstar, Lynxstar, and Birdstar sitting on the tree. I sat down. Then Beachstar began. "I shall go first. WindClan is doing well, we have two new apprentices, Whisperpaw and-" A screech interrupted him. "Whisperpaw!" Some cat screamed. But it wasn't a cheer. More yowls echoed through the gathered cats. "What's going on?" Another growled. Stonestreak turned to me. "Get up the tree. Don't look down. Keep your eyes closed. And stay quiet." I stared at him. "W-what's going on?" Stonestreak rested his tail on my shoulder. "I have to go." I widened my eyes. "What? What if you get hurt? Or killed?" Blood filled the skies around us. Something was attacking. Stonestreak turned, glancing over his shoulder. He was now transparent, with stars in his fur. "I can't be killed twice. Now hurry!" He leaped into the fray. I shook my head. I had to fight... Whatever it was that was attacking. But Stonestreak told me to climb the tree, and something in my gut told me to do what he said. I raced to the tree, my fur warmed by something sticky; most likely blood. I shivered, but carried on. I scrambled up the tree, scared for my life, and that of every cat there. I reached the top, hidden in the leaves, not daring to open my eyes. Screeches were all that I heard. Some cat shouted, "The shadows! They're alive!" Soon, all was quiet. I heard a rustling, as something made its way up the tree. "Check to see if any are hiding," something called up. It was hard to describe their voice. It was deep, like a tom, but raspy, and sounded like smoke would if it could speak. At the same time, it was like honey, smooth and sweet. It sounded familiar, yet I didn't recognize it. Finally, after a while, I glanced down. Nothing. Nothing but bodies. I slithered down the tree. Across the horizon, the first signs of dawn appeared. I was surprised our Clans did not come looking for us. "Hello?" I called. No answer. I doubted any cats had escaped the massacre. I walked among the fallen cats. I didn't see anything but Clan cats. Apparently, whoever had killed everyone had no casualties. I glanced amongst the bodies. I gasped when I saw Lakefall. No. Not Lakefall. I raced over to her and buried my muzzle in her fur. "I'm so sorry..." I whispered. "I should have tried hard to save you. Or at least tried." Tears stung my eyes. What would I tell Ebonyhaze? He would be devastated. In fact, what would I tell all the Clans, when they found they had lost cats dear to them? Eight cats from each Clan dead. Or in RiverClans's case, seven. I am the only survivor. Including leaders. Their bodies lied by the foot of the tree, unmoving, all lives lost. The deputies would have to step up now. I was scarred. I would never forget the day I witnessed innocent cats slaughtered. A body near me stirred. I recognized him. It Mossstorm, from WindClan. He was badly wounded, but alive. I was not the only one. "The shadows... They came... Killed us... No escape..." he muttered. "Tell Icewinter... I love her... and that our kits... Will be beautiful..." And with that, he was gone. ''Icewinter. ''She was a WindClan queen. Her mate was dead. So much devastation. I scanned the bodies one last time, but something startled me. Two things, actually. All the cats' throats were cleanly slit. Secondly, Stonestreak was no where to be found. Had he escaped? I knew he hadn't. I knew he was dead. He's always been dead, but he had been watching me. That's why he became transparen; his fur filled with stars. He was my Starclan guardian. But I didn't have time to think about this. I raced back to camp, my heart broken. My eyes stinging with tears. I burst into camp, my paws still damp from crossing the river. Before I collapsed, my chest heaving with sobs, I cried, "All cats at the gathering are dead!" Chapter two- Foxgaze I had just learned my mate was dead. Lizardsoul was dead. Dead. Him. Lizardsoul. But, I could not sulk. I had duties to do. Crowpaw needed comfort. He had witnessed the massacre last night. I couldn't let my apprentice down. I padded up to Finchtooth. He was former deputy, about to get his leader name tonight. "Yes?" he asked. "Can I take Crowpaw to train by the stream?" I replied. Finchtooth nodded. "Sure, but take the other apprentices still at camp. And their mentors. I don't want history to repeat its self, if you know what I mean?" I had an idea of what he was talking about. "Okay. Can do." I gathered three apprentices, and two mentors. Next, I had to get my ''own apprentice. "Hey, Crowpaw," I said gently, approaching him. He glanced up, his eyes crusted with dried tears. This young cat has seen things he should not have seen. "Foxgaze." His voice was small and raspy, from sobbing. "We're going training with some other apprentices and mentors. You get to choose what we're training for." He stared at me. "I don't want to..." He whispered. "How about swimming?" I suggested. He nodded numbly. I led him to the camp entrance, where the stream was thinest, and the reeds parted. "I have an idea!" I exclaimed. "How about we teach Echoleaf's kits how to swim?" The apprentices nodded. "Can I take Featherkit?" Applepaw asked. I knew how much Applepaw loved the little kit like the sister she never had. "Sure." "Tulipice, can you go get Echoleaf's kits? Oh- ask her permission first." Tulipice dipped her cream tabby head. "But we have four apprentices; Echoleaf has three kits." I paused. "Maybe Sedgedapple's kits are old enough? One cat will have to take two." Tulipice trotted away towards the nursery. Moments later, she returned with five kits. I assigned each of the apprentices to a kit, Featherkit with Applepaw of course. I let the mentors monitor the kits, making sure everything would be alright. I know this was a short chapter, but whatever. XD Chapter three- Crowpaw Finchstar stalked up to me. "Crowpaw? Can I have a word with you?" I stifled a sigh. "Yes?" He sat beside me, a disappointed look on his tabby face. "I've noticed you haven't been doing very well in your duties. You bring back half as much fresh-kill as every other cat, and most of your moss and bracken is soiled by the time you return to camp." Finchstar betrayed a flash of sympathy in his eyes. "I know you're grieving, but you have to do your job." I glared at him. "Grieving? Yeah, I miss my Clanmates, but do you know what I saw? I saw dead bodies everywere. Blood, so much that there was no dry ground." My voice was eerily quiet now. "I saw a father die, his last words of love for his mate and unborn kits he will never get to see," I finished. "I will never forget that night. And I'm sorry that I can't keep up with my duties, but I will never get that image, that night out of my head. And I'm not sorry about doing terribly." Finchstar flinched. "Try to control your memories, you emotions. Please." I let my chest and throat rumble softly. "I can't." He looked taken aback. Had I really spoken to him like that? Yeah. I did. "Very well," he murmured dipping his head. "But we will expect nothing less from you, than what we expect from all our warriors." He stood and padded away, leaving me alone. -------------------------------------- "Hey, Crowpaw!" A voice shattered my thoughts. Winterdapple, the Clan deputy was rushing towards me. "I need you to join a fishing patrol. Tulipice is leading it. She's over by the camp entrance." I nodded, and padded off. Tulipice greeted me with a wave of her tail. I nodded, and glanced at the patrol with satisfaction. Mouse-dung. Honeypaw. The over-eccentric apprentice, smiled that too-wide smile, that I knew too well. "Crow-bro!" She purred. I groaned. "Honeypaw. And the name's Crow''paw." Honeypaw shook her fluffy tail in my face. "Whatever..!" We followed Tulipice out of camp, Honeypaw bursting with strange facts. "Did you know Waterflower wanted to name Meadowsun, Waterkit, after herself? But that Finchstar wouldn't allow it? That's why they aren't mates anymore." I didn't even want to know how she learned the facts. "We're here!" I was grateful for Tulipice's interruption. I padded to the edge of the river, waiting to see if I could see any fish. There! My paw flicked into the water, then I pulled it out, with it, a silver fish. "Nice catch!" Honeypaw congratulated. I quickly thanked her, and moved somewhere else along the river. Then it attacked. Something black leapt out of the reeds at me. And I screamed. Claws like fire dug into my shoulders. "What is that?!" Tulipice screamed. "Get back to camp, all of you! I'll hold it off!" The claws disappeared. I heard a sickening thud, and when I glanced over, something black, that looked like it was made of smoke crouched over Tulipice. It was shaped like a cat, but was too large. In a blur of black and silver, Silentshimmer distracted the beast. She lured it away from Tulipice. Tulipice was alive, but she was hurt, and barely breathing. "Come on," I whispered to Honeypaw. "Let's get her back to camp." Honeypaw shook her head. "What about Silentshimmer? She can't hold off that thing on her own!" I closed my eyes. "We have to let her try." Honeypaw shook her head. "She going to die, and you know it." I glanced at Silentshimmer. Honeypaw was right. "No, she won't. We have to have faith. Come on." We hoisted Tulipice on our backs. Regret tugged at my stomach. I couldn't just ''leave Silentshimmer! But, if we brought her back with us, the monster would follow. I cast one glance at her before starting our trek back to camp. She still was tussling with the beast. She was always light on her paws. Maybe she would survive? I knew the answer to that. We could get the body later. Chapter Four- Foxgaze I wanted to kill those shadow things! They killed my mate. Lizardsoul. They almost killed my best friend. Tulipice. And they killed my clanmates. RiverClan. I would destroy that thing! "Let's hurry up, Crowpaw," I hissed. We were going to get Silentshimmer's body. She had to be dead. From the way Honeypaw and Crowpaw had described it, there was no way she was alive. Tulipice was unconscious, still, but Ivoryleaf would said she would be okay. Crowpaw stopped. "Can we go back and get some more cats?" I shook my head. "No. Those things hurt me. They hurt my friends. My family. I need to do this alone." Crowpaw shook his head. "Don't you think we might need backup? That thing might still be there. And, you're not the only one hurting." I stopped. "Just shut up." My amber gaze burned into his. Silentshimmer was expressionless, her body lying peacefully on the ground. Crowpaw padded over to inspect the body; I followed. He rolled it over, his eyes narrowed. "How..?" I glared at him. "What? What is it?!" He turned, his eyes wide. "She's not injured." ------------- Silentshimmer was slung over our backs, as we trudged to camp. I glanced at Crowpaw. "I'll report this to Ivoryleaf." He nodded. "'Kay..." We padded into camp, cats staring at us. "Oh, Silentshimmer..." Cloudystream had a pained look on his face. "Daughter." I shoved my way through the crowd. "I need to see Ivoryleaf!" I hissed. The white she-cat appeared from her thorn-bush den. "Yes, Foxgaze?" she paused, noticing the body. "Oh. Bring her to my den, please." I nodded. Crowpaw and I deposited the body at her den. "Crowpaw, I can take care of this," I whispered. He nodded and scampered off. "Let me inspect her injuries, and then you can tell me what happened. I will speak to your apprentice later, as well. " I shook my head. "That's just it. She has no visible injuries." Ivoryleaf narrowed her eyes. "Hmm..." She nodded. "That is true." She glanced back at me. "I don't know what this means." I tiwtched my ears. "How is Tulipice?" Ivoryleaf let out a sigh. "She just needs rest. I don't think she's injured, either." She continued,"She claims that it felt like claws dug into her back. But she said that something was choking her, but from the inside." I blinked. "What?" Anger rose inside me; a red-hot rage; burning fire, burning inside me. "How?! Nothing hurts my Clan! Nothing hurts my mate! Nothing scares my apprentice!" I don't even know how I switched subjects that fast. I just knew anger. Ivoryleaf narrowed her eyes, displeased. "You're scaring the kits." She glanced behind me. Kits were huddling behind their mother, shaking with fear. A silver queen glared at me, her tail wrapped around her kits. I felt warm. "Sorry," I muttered. For a moment, I calm, like water rushing over smooth stones. But the water dried up, and I was mad again. "Stop acting like nothing happened! Cats died! Killed by some flea-" Ivoryleaf rested her tail on my shoulder. "I'm not acting like nothing happened. Something did happen. But I must keep up my duties. And so must you. Focus in the present, stop lingering in the past. We have more important matters, like keeping our Clan safe." Her kittypet name, Peace, suits her. "Now, would you like some poppy seeds to help with your... Distraught situation?" I nodded, relief flowing throughout me. "Yes, please!" I didn't want to risk getting mad again. I might hurt someone this time. Ivoryleaf smiled. "Okay. I'll get them right away, Foxgaze." She started to to pad off. "Wait here." I sat down, exhausted from yelling. Deep breaths. Something caught my eye. The shadows by the nursery flickered. I gasped, horrified. "No!" I raced to the nursery, hoping desperately to get there in time. I clawed at the shadows, attacking with all my might. "Hey! Stop!" A cat hissed. Ebonyhaze. What have I done? "I'm sorry!" I stuttered. How embarrassing. "I thought you were-" "That's enough!" A voice behind me hissed. I turned around, shrinking in fear. "Finchstar," I whispered meekly. The tall cat towered over me. Rage filled his eyes. "What do you have to say for yourself, attacking a clanmate?" He hissed. "..." I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Speak!" Finchstar said, leaning over me. I pressed closer to the ground. "I thought he was one of those shadow things!" I gulped. All hope of being free from punishment disappeared. Finchstar closed his eyes. "You are excused from patrols for the next quarter moon." Suspended, more like. "Clearly you have become paranoid from this unseen enemy. I'm sorry, but it's for the good of the Clan. I can't have you attacking anyone else." "What!?" I cried. "No! You can't do this!" Despair laced into my gaze. "I can and I have. I this happens again, I will make this go on for longer." He stared at me sternly. "Do you understand?" I nodded wordlessly. Finchstar sighed. "Good." He turned to Ebonyhaze. "Go see your sister." Ebonyhaze nodded, and scampered off. He glanced over his shoulder to give me a fearful gaze. "As for you, know that this is not punishment. I'm only doing what's best for my clan." I snarled. I was mad again, but at least I didn't claw his ears off. "You're right! This isn't punishment! It's quarantine!" I dug my claws into the ground. "What about my apprentice? Crowpaw?" "Silence." Finchstar gazed around camp. "Your apprentice. He'like need a new mentor. " He stared back at me. "Cloudystream. He needs something to take his mind off his grief. As long as that's okay with you?" "Fine. I trust him." More than you trust me. '' Finchstar nodded. "I will have Cloudystream and Crowpaw informed. Go see Ivoryleaf for something to calm you." He started to turn away. "And take a nap while you're at it. It might do you some much needed good." Already done. "Yes," I hissed through clenched teeth, and stalked off, seething. The medicine cat greeted me. "Foxgaze, you have returned. I'm terribly sorry for your exclusion from patrols." Ivoryleaf watched me carefully, as if I might attack at any moment. "I have your seeds ready. Hurry and eat them, I must tend to Ebonyhaze." The black tom glared at me from the shadows, his honeydew dripping with distrust. I nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She placed a small leaf in front of me, multiple black seeds staring at me like little beady eyes. I shivered at the thought, lapping them up. "I should go rest now." I began to pad away, but stopped, "Oh, and Ebonyhaze, I'm really sorry." As I began to walk away again, he stopped me. "Stay away from my son." Chapter Five- Crowpaw "Meep!" I squealed. "Stop!" Tears fell down my face. Applepaw narrowed her eyes. "Why should I? You're just a liar." She stalked around me, her green eyes gleaming. "You just want attention." "N-no!" I backed ways. "I promise! I'm not making this up..." "Oh, really?" She ran her tail under my chin. "Like I'm gonna believe that. 'If I make up a story about death and hire rouges to kill everyone, then they'll pity me. Finally I'll be noticed!'" She paused. "That's what you thought, right?" She shoved her muzzle in my face. "No! I swear," I whimpered. I widned my eyes. Her claws were out again. Suddenly, the scratch on my cheek hurt more. Somehow, a dumb thought slipped into my mine: ''Dang, she's stupid. Applepaw snarled. "Stop lying!" She took a few steps closer. With each step, my fear grew. "Stand up!" She hissed. "Now!" I gulped, rising to my paws. Oh no. I'm so dead. So dead. She swiped a paw across my leg. Pain seared through me. Tears blurred my vision. Stop. Applepaw stepped back. "Now, my mentor's expecten' me, so I best be on my way." I let out a sigh of relief. "But don't think you can get me in trouble. My daddy' s the deputy, and he and Finchstar won't believe a word you say, as long as I tell them the... 'truth'." She began to sashay away. "But nobody will believe you anyways, they'll say your still traumatized." That's because I am. "Buh-bye, hon." I stared after her. Her brown tabby pelt glowed in the frosty sun. Oh StarClan, why do the prettiest cats have to be the worst? I began my painful tread to camp. My injustices stung, not just my injuries. Did she really believe I was lying? No, just an illusion she created for herself. Now that the attention was deprived from her, she began thinking I purposely got cats killed. Or she's mad with grief. Like Foxgaze. A good friend of Applepaw's died that day; Blissbounce. She was a new warriors, but still acts a kit. Ha. How ironic. Blissbounce was not just kind, but a good influence on Applepaw. To be honest, I may or may not have had a tiny crush on Applepaw before, you know. But that all changed when she died. The news of her death didn't just shock Applepaw, but transformed her. She became a whole new cat without Blissbounce to keep her in check. I didn't know Blissbounce very well, but I can say that I missed her. Back to my theory. Applepaw just planted a possibility in her mind that someone caused it. Someone she knew. The sole survivor. Me. Only I made it out alive, so maybe I had caused it? I don't like the way she thinks, but maybe that's because in too judgmental? Once again, back to the subject, And she had to blame someone, but of grief of course. Someone had to have done this. Me. Oh, I'm at camp already? I roused my brain from my thoughts. I'm a thinker, always have been. I can put myself in other cats' shoes. Sometimes, I think it's more of a curse than a blessing. "Hey Crowpaw!" Honeypaw. Great. Just great. She gasped, her gaze horrified. "Your face." Really? My face burned, but not just the cut stung. "It's nothing, really," I lied, remembering what Applepaw said. Please go away, please go away. "You're bleeding." Honeypaw flicked back her ears. "I know." I rolled my eyes. "Gross." I shied my face aways defensively. That hurt more that usual. But pain comes in many forms, mostly when you least expect it. Honeypaw just stood there for a moment, looking stricken. "I'll go get Ivoryleaf." And with that, she dashed away, I flinchd. "Wait..." I mewed weakly, but she was out of earshot. She could have said anything else. 'Are you okay? What happened?' But she chose to get the medicine cat. Hooray. Moments later, she came leaping back with not just Ivoryleaf, but Finchstar and Snowfeather, the deputy, as well. Why me? Finchstar gasped. Snowfeather narrowed his eyes. Ivoryleaf just gazed calmly on. "What happened?" The white she-cat asked. The serenity in her tone made me want to curl up and nap. "Rabbit," I answer quickly. Snowfeather looked unconvinced. "Rabbit did this to you?" I nodded, looking dumb. "Big rabbit, huge." I ruffled my fur. "Hm..." Snowfeather whispered something into Finchstar's ear. I caught two words: "Self-harm." No. Never. Sure I've seen a lot, but never in a million years. Still, I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to bite off even more than I can chew. Finchstar nodded slowly, flicking his ears back. "Perhaps," he muttered. His gaze shifted to me. " I need to have a word with you in my den after Ivoryleaf treats you." "Let him rest first. I'll heal him right away." Ivoryleaf dipped her head, "How long will he have to stay in camp? Surely he can't go hunting with therse injuries." Snowfeather studied my cheek and leg. I froze. Stay in camp? Please no. Ivoryleaf pondered this for a moment. "Three, two days at the least." She glanced at me, her eyes compassionate. "I'm sorry." I glamced to Honeypaw for support. She just stood there like stone. Die. In. A. Hole. Snowfeather cast a sly glance at the Warriors den. "But that's fine, because his mentor its temporarily out of commission." It was all I could do not to snarl. Ivoryleaf nodded. "Let's get started." I nodded,and followed her to her den, casting a begrudging glare at the three cats behind me. I was in ruins. Chapter Six- Foxgaze "Foxgaze," a voice whispered to me. "Lizardsoul?" I mumbled. "It's that you?" I opened my eyes. "I was sleeping, mousebrain." A lone figure stood at the entrance to the den. "I need to talk to you." I narrowed my eyes. "Who's there?" "Crowpaw." Him. Why him? I let him down. He hurt himself! I shouldn't speak to him. "Finchstar spoke to me. He says I shouldn't go near you, or any cat for that matter. Especially not you." I paused, tears welling up in my eyes. "He says-he says I'm a bad influence. Just look at yourself!" He stepped into the dim light. I could see his marred face now. "Actually, that's what Iin need to speak to you about." "No. I won't hear it." I turned away. Guilt swam In my eyes. "Go. Away." Crowpaw whimpered. "I-I... Please! Trust me!" "What if I start attacking you, huh? What if I go crazy again? What if-if I kill you?!" I snarled. "I'm not taking chances." Crowpaw shook his head. "You won't." I turned to look at him. I think I rubbed off on him. He used to be so timid, so scared. If he were like he used to be, he would have run for his father. But he's not. maybe I influenced him for the better. No. I shouldn't get such foolish thoughts in my head. "How can you be so certain?" "I just know it." His eyes glinted. "I'm serous. I have ''to talk to you. I swear to StarClan." "To StarClan, eh?" A tiny part of me crumbled. Curiosity killed the rabbit, "I can't argue with that." Crowpaw smiled faintly. "Can we go somewhere private? I don't want any cat overhearing." I nodded. "I know a place." —'Timeskiparoo'''— "What do you want to tell me?" He took a breath, gazing at the water. "I didn't do this to myself." "Yes, you did." I narrowed my eyes. "Only a cat could have done this." He nodded. "Yeah. But it wasn't me." "What?" Confusion overtook me. "Then who did?" "Applepaw." "Applepaw," I repeated, dumbfound, "Why?" Crowpaw snorted. "She hates me! She thinks I scammed the clan into thinking that I caused all the deaths." "That's stupid." H nodded. "She was never the brightest star, but she used to shine." Oh yeah, I forgot, Crowpaw used to have a thing for her. "I can't tell anyone, because she said no one would believe me, considering her father is the deputy. Plus, he hates me, too." Cropaw flicked snow into the stream. "Plausible." I need to get back at Applepaw, but how? "It doesn't matter, anyways," he muttered, as if reading my mind. "We have more important matters, like the shadows." Dont worry, I didn't forget. There's not much you can do while being confined to camp other than think, which did not come easy to me. That was more Crowpaw's thing. "Yeah," I nodded. "But they haven't attacked anyone for a while," I pointed out. He rolled his eyes. "You mean three days? Anyways, they wouldn't just leave like that. They have a goal: to wipe us all out. Or, that's what I think." "Whatever, owlbrain." "But that's not what I came to talk to you about." I tilted my head. "Oh, really?" He shook his head, fear flashing in his eyes. "I just hope no one is listening." I nodded, stiffening. "I agree. I don't think the Clan is ready to hear this stuff yet." "Okay, I need to tell you what Finchstar said to me." That caught my attention. I hoped it wasn't about me. "He called me into his den. He lectured me, saying that though the events of the gathering were very... hm, how did he put it... disturbing, I need to carry on with life; the Clan need all the cats they had at a time like this." He glanced at me, his eyes hollow. "I think we both know what he means." I gasped, horror flooding through me at the horrid thought. "You wouldn't." He nodded solemnly. "Finchstar said he would give the Clan a speech about getting over what happened, and to be prepared for another attack, which includes getting ready for it. He promised not to mention me, but..." A lonely tear dribbled down his face. "I think he means not by name." I pressed against him comfortingly. "Oh, Crowpaw." "They'll know who h-he's talking about! They'll knew i-it was me!" He sobbed. "I don't want them thinking... Thinking..." Tears had been falling down his face a lot, lately. He never cried. I thought I had taught him to be strong, no matter what. But I guess even the bravest cats need to cry. That's what makes them brave. "It's going to be okay." As I spoke the words, I realized how meaningless they were. It wouldn't be okay. "No, it won't..." Crowpaw closed eyes. "And you know it won't." I had no words. "I don't want Ebonyhaze and Ivoryleaf thiking I'd ever try to... They're the only family I have. I can't lose them." I stroked his back with my tail. "You'll always have Honeypaw. And me." He opjee his eyes. "I'm not even related to her! I don't even like her just because our mothers were friends doesn't mean we have to be," Crowpaw huffed. "I still think you make a cute couple." He frowed. "No way!" A small chuckled escaped his jaws. "Thanks." "For what?" I glanced at him. What had I come? "Lightening the mod, I guess" He purred. "But I still don't think it'll be okay." "Let's not worry about that now, let's keep everything cheery." He nodded. "Do you really think I'd make a good couple with Honeypaw? I hope not." I nudged his head. "I think you would, honest." It's true. Plus, I think Honeypaw has a crush on him, "Ugh." "Let's get you back to camp," I suggested. A slight joy filled me. I think I did something right. He shakily rose to his paws, so I offered to support him. Thankfully, he accepted. To be honest, I didn't think he could make it back on his own four paws. As we exited my hideout, I spotted a flash out brown in the reeds. Fear struck me. Had someone been listening? I hope not... But maybe I was just seeing things. I am crazy, after all. But what if... No. Oh, no. It can't be. Applepaw. Chapter seven- Crowpaw I just wanted to scream. I can't take this anymore. I was trapped, in this prison of a den. The more I stayEd in there, the more the tree roots looked like a cage. I'd been in there one day. That day was day two. One more day. "Ivoryleaf?" I called, hearing soft footsteps by the entrance of the medicine cat den. "Not Ivoryleaf. It's Applepaw." A small squeal escaped my mouth. "Go away!" Applepaw poked her head into the den. "Crowpaw, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want the Clan to be safe." She crept close to me, so I could feel her breath tickling my fur. "Finchstar's calling a Clan meeting soon. My daddy told me." I sucked in a gasp of fear.